Home design to fulfil desire for flexibility, versatility and comfort

A recent survey by Saint-Gobain Gyproc to better understand what South Africans want in their homes revealed that 79% of people want their homes to be more flexible, 75% like the versatility of working from home and 77% want their homes to be comfortable all year-round.

These insights will be used by Saint-Gobain and Thomashoff & Partner Architects to develop criteria for building better homes by informing the design of Stand 51, a model for improved house design. The show house will be built in 2018 at Val de Vie Estate in Franschhoek, and follows its predecessor, Stand 47, which tested people’s experiences around home comfort.

The survey revealed that South Africans want their houses to be tailored to the ever-changing needs of their families. Michelle Cerruti, SaintGobain Gyproc’s marketing and communications manager, says: “A spare room has a multitude of potential uses depending on the homeowner’s stage of life. While it can be transformed into a home-office or TV room now, there might be more pressing needs in the future, such as a bedroom for a child or an elderly parent.”

But 60% of people also know too many bedrooms can lead to wasted space. “A single, adaptable room is an incredibly useful feature,” says Cerruti.

True flexibility is about avoiding the need for costly renovations as one’s needs change, and the Stand 51 design aims to encompass this. It takes into consideration that by using the correct materials, a single space can transform throughout the day to perform various functions supporting family needs.

The study also found that South Africans want their homes to help make life more enjoyable and easier. For 78% of people this means being able to work from home. For those who can work from home, it is logical to invest in a home office in a quiet and tranquil environment which offers privacy from day-to-day household activities.

“Temperature is also an important factor and in a country like South Africa where the summers are hot, and homes aren’t necessarily built for winter, thermal comfort is important,” says Cerruti. Even gentle temperature fluctuations can cause discomfort – bedrooms can become too hot to sleep in at night, offices can be too cold to work in during the day, our limbs can get stiff from draughts, and so on.

There’s no ‘one size fits all’ recipe for thermal comfort: it’s the outcome of a well-balanced combination of building systems adapted to both the local climate and the type of activities performed in a building.

Thermal comfort is affected by many different factors including air temperature, humidity, draughts, the surface temperature of surrounding walls, the intensity and type of activities being performed in a building and the clothing occupants wear.

An efficient building envelope can really enhance thermal comfort with the physical structure acting as a filter between the exterior and interior climates.

The materials used to construct the building (the choice of brick, stone or wood, for example) have an impact on how quickly changes in weather conditions are felt and insulation materials can reduce heat loss in winter and conduction heat gains in summer.

All of these factors contribute to general comfort, with 77% of the respondents agreeing a home must make you comfortable year-round.

No matter the season, 80% agree that a home must be convenient and make you feel good. Respondents want a home that is beautiful by bringing nature in through the materials and light, quiet and tranquil, healthy and revitalising, comfortable in the heat or cold and to increase efficiency while maintaining quality.

“So with flexibility, versatility and comfort in mind, the Stand 51 prototype will create a truly better home model that showcases how the evolution of design and technology can influence future-proof home design and living.”

People in SA want homes that make life easier.